E3 2015: Fallout 4 Release Date and Gameplay Demo

Earlier this month, Bethesda announced Fallout 4. With the official announcement trailer featuring famous US Navy ship Old Ironsides, along with landmarks such as the Paul Revere statue, it was clear that the game would be set in Boston, Massachusetts, but Bethesda was holding off on any more information until E3.

Last night, Bethesda’s first ever E3 press conference came and went, shedding more light on the sci-fi RPG. Find out the Fallout 4 release date and check out a new gameplay demo after the break.

Fallout 4 Release Date + Gameplay Demo

Bethesda explains that in Fallout 4 you emerge from Vault 111 as its sole survivor, 200 years after the nuclear war began. However, you do start the game with a spouse and a child but it appears that they don’t make it – Bethesda doesn’t want to give too much away about what happened to them but expect it to be a tearjerker.

Building on that story, Fallout 4 is all about your choices and customisation. For example, the game features a new base system where you can salvage parts and use them to build a stronghold for yourself which you must defend against raiders. At this base you’ll be able to customise over 50 different weapons with over 700 modifications, and your Power Armor can also be customised so that if you want to be a damage absorbing tank with a jet pack, you can be. There’s also a trade mechanic where you can encourage special merchants to come and visit and you can even farm for supplies and set up generators.

This customisation also extends to your character themselves. Similar to The Sims 4‘s create-a-Sim mode, Fallout 4 will allow you to use your cursor to adjust your character’s appearance, with Bethesda hoping that the lack of sliders will make things easier. Plus, you can play as a male or female character and Bethesda has recorded 1000 different popular names so that when you talk to your robot assistant, Codsworth, it will refer to you by your name.

As for other gameplay info, we know that the game will include V.A.T.S (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) as well as a canine companion. V.A.T.S allows you pause the game and target specific body parts to attack on your enemies, while you can order your dog around and have him fetch things for you. It’s not really clear how useful your pet will be (if you’re in the heat of battle it might be too fiddly to get him to go and fetch ammo for you) but it should make the long treks across Fallout 4’s Wasteland a little less lonely.